WootBot

Pets are there for you, even when everyone else in the world lets you down. They may not completely understand the concept of holidays, but they know the pack is unwrapping stuff together. Let them be a part of things as well. That's what a good alpha would do.

theco2

kelslee

theco2 wrote:If you have a smart dog, the games are worth their weight in gold.

I have a smart dog and an "interactive" game toy very similar to some of those here and it took her all of 15 seconds to get all the treats out. By the time I set the toy down, allowed her to "find it" and stood back up the treats were gone. Personally, I'd suggest saving your money if you have a smart (or incredibly food motivated) dog. You can make your own game with a muffin tin and tennis balls (put a treat in the tin and then place ball over treat - dog has to take ball out to get treat).

theco2

kelslee wrote:I have a smart dog and an "interactive" game toy very similar to some of those here and it took her all of 15 seconds to get all the treats out. By the time I set the toy down, allowed her to "find it" and stood back up the treats were gone. Personally, I'd suggest saving your money if you have a smart (or incredibly food motivated) dog. You can make your own game with a muffin tin and tennis balls (put a treat in the tin and then place ball over treat - dog has to take ball out to get treat).

If your dog is that smart Nina Ottosson has some extremely challenging games.

modi123

I am unclear.. is the "BUSTER DogMaze" large enough to handle two golden retrievers? It looks about right for my King Charles Spaniel, but I want to make sure goldens will have enough room to maneuver the maze to fetch me my wish for a Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant.

cymbalmonkey

It's common for dogs to just straight up have no interest in them. My dog loves bones of any kind, but he refuses to chew the horns/antlers we've gotten him. I've soaked them in chicken stock overnight like some recommended and they're still too refined for his tastes.

I'd recommend taking your dog to a pet store that sells them first to see if he has any interest in them before committing to a purchase.

That being said--a lot of these are interesting, but it's hard to get a grip on them. I've got a corgi mix who eats very quickly, like corgis are notorious for, and I've been wanting some kind of activity to stuff his food into to slow down his intake and engage him mentally, but I have no idea the size of these things, how much they can hold, or if they're all the kind where you shove things in one piece at a time.

theco2

It's common for dogs to just straight up have no interest in them. My dog loves bones of any kind, but he refuses to chew the horns/antlers we've gotten him. I've soaked them in chicken stock overnight like some recommended and they're still too refined for his tastes.

I'd recommend taking your dog to a pet store that sells them first to see if he has any interest in them before committing to a purchase.

That being said--a lot of these are interesting, but it's hard to get a grip on them. I've got a corgi mix who eats very quickly, like corgis are notorious for, and I've been wanting some kind of activity to stuff his food into to slow down his intake and engage him mentally, but I have no idea the size of these things, how much they can hold, or if they're all the kind where you shove things in one piece at a time.

Good advise! I've also heard coating them in peanut butter, helps get their interest. I don't know if they would like it until the peanut butter is gone, or just keep going, though.

My dog loves antlers and they last him a long time. In fact, I went to a flea market and got him a full rack (make sure you grind the ends if they are real sharp).

"The Pyramid has a serious design fault. It has a seam right before the weight at the bottom that after extended use can crack. Once it is broken, it is broken. I have duct taped one together, but it’s not the safest way to deal with the issue when it’s a toy you plan to leave alone with your dog. I have attempted to crazy glue one, too, but the glue broke with one slam by our toy tester, Kiah. This design fault, however, is not the only challenge to the Pyramid – it only has the dispensing hole to fill the toy with. When you want to put breakfast in it or any quantity of treats or kibble, it can be frustrating and time consuming."

I was considering the Pyramid, but now I think I'll just save up for the Kong Wobbler instead.

yaddiex3

Serafyna

cymbalmonkey wrote:Coating it in peanut butter just results in him licking the peanut butter off.

I've tried pretty much everything, he's just a little princess :P

Eh, it's not just yours. I have two Golden Doodles, one is VERY picky about what she will chew, the other has gone after nearly everything -- except antlers. Neither one would touch them, despite my best efforts.

One of my favorite finds for aggressive chewers is Himalayan cheese. They soak the goat cheese in lime, and it sits out and hardens, it's a food humans eat. It lasts much longer then bully sticks and similar products.

Blustreak21

My dog usually needs some time with the antler to get interested. He acts like he doesn't care and won't pay it any attention for a while but soon enough its his best chew toy. Be careful with giving your dog an antler that is too narrow. For my dog at least, most deer antlers are too small so I use elk and he loves them. Even though the ends start out flat, he sometimes gnaws them into very sharp ends on his own. Watch out for that!

mommasharon

I received this tree as a gift last Christmas. I timed it & it took me under 25 minutes to assemble the whole thing. The two cats in the house LOVE LOVE LOVE this tree. A two-year-old niece loved it as well. She ended up sitting and wiggling on one of the perches & we had to remove it (just the one perch) after it became unstable. I'm debating getting a second one for another part of the house.

ThunderThighs

I received this tree as a gift last Christmas. I timed it & it took me under 25 minutes to assemble the whole thing. The two cats in the house LOVE LOVE LOVE this tree. A two-year-old niece loved it as well. She ended up sitting and wiggling on one of the perches & we had to remove it (just the one perch) after it became unstable. I'm debating getting a second one for another part of the house.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

You might try some large washers to see if you can stabilize that perch again.

ginawoot

cymbalmonkey wrote:I've got a corgi mix who eats very quickly, like corgis are notorious for, and I've been wanting some kind of activity to stuff his food into to slow down his intake and engage him mentally, but I have no idea the size of these things, how much they can hold, or if they're all the kind where you shove things in one piece at a time.

Take a look at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ARUKTG. Although he isn't usually a chowhound like yours, I got it for my 25-pound dog's mental and physical stimulation, and he loves getting his evening kibble ration in it. There's a bit of a learning curve, but it allows you to gradually increase the degree of difficulty as your pup catches on. It's very easy to fill and clean too. The only minor hassle is having to put down a couple of rolled-up towels to corral the action, so that it doesn't roll into inaccessible corners.

ebam

cymbalmonkey wrote:I've got a corgi mix who eats very quickly, like corgis are notorious for, and I've been wanting some kind of activity to stuff his food into to slow down his intake and engage him mentally, but I have no idea the size of these things, how much they can hold, or if they're all the kind where you shove things in one piece at a time.

He figured it out very quickly but it slows him down and got rid of the post-meal belches. It's worth noting that I got the aikou because the nina toys were so expensive. at these prices, though, I'm planning on getting 1 or 2 of the ninas as well to provide more of a challenge.

sudotrin

I'd like to know as well. I'm a bit put off that the covering is faux fur and not carpet (as commenter above pointed out). Also (serious question) does anyone know where I can get a safe "cat warmer"/heating pad kind of thing? Our oldest is about to turn 18 and really could use some extra heat. Her poor old bones are not liking the change in temperature even here in South Florida. Don't want to use regular heating pad as a friend's house burned down that way ...

agingdragqueen

sudotrin wrote:I'd like to know as well. I'm a bit put off that the covering is faux fur and not carpet (as commenter above pointed out). Also (serious question) does anyone know where I can get a safe "cat warmer"/heating pad kind of thing? Our oldest is about to turn 18 and really could use some extra heat. Her poor old bones are not liking the change in temperature even here in South Florida. Don't want to use regular heating pad as a friend's house burned down that way ...

I have no cat-experience with the cat trees in this sale, but I recently got this thing for my kitten for her first winter, and of course she doesn't seem to give a flip. It was recommended to me by another cat owner though whose cat does love it and I bet once it does get colder (or my stupid cat gets older) she'd love it.

kmbkmb

sudotrin wrote:I'd like to know as well. I'm a bit put off that the covering is faux fur and not carpet (as commenter above pointed out). Also (serious question) does anyone know where I can get a safe "cat warmer"/heating pad kind of thing? Our oldest is about to turn 18 and really could use some extra heat. Her poor old bones are not liking the change in temperature even here in South Florida. Don't want to use regular heating pad as a friend's house burned down that way ...

I got one of these Petsafe heated beds (http://www.amazon.com/Heated-Wellness-Sleeper-Small-23/dp/B005N01BR8/) in the "small" size about 7 years ago, when I had a 15-year-old cat whose joints were starting to stiffen. She loved it, as did the 3-year-old-without-stiff-joints. The old girl passed, but the bed still works 7 years later, and both my cats (the now-10-year-old-but-still-without-stiff-joints, and a spry 5-year-old) love it, often preferring it over my lap. I call it "the electric lap." And I leave it plugged in 24/7 once the weather starts getting cool, obviously never had a problem.

misslisam

sudotrin wrote:I'd like to know as well. I'm a bit put off that the covering is faux fur and not carpet (as commenter above pointed out). Also (serious question) does anyone know where I can get a safe "cat warmer"/heating pad kind of thing? Our oldest is about to turn 18 and really could use some extra heat. Her poor old bones are not liking the change in temperature even here in South Florida. Don't want to use regular heating pad as a friend's house burned down that way ...

I have little flannel pillows filled with uncooked rice that I put in the microwave for my feet on cold winter nights. My dog absolutely loves them. I bet your cat would appreciate it. No electricity, so no chance of it burning things down.

Also, I am surprised so many people here have dogs who don't love antlers. I have to hide them from my dog and only take them out on special occassions (going to the vet, for instance) because they are her favoritest thing in the world.

Largely positive. The one negative review complains it is cheaply made, and in fact one of the positive reviews appears to concur. Woot price is about 25% better than Amazon price.

Our two kittens (12+ pounds at 8 months... you decide if they are kittens) have somewhat outgrown their old cat tree (an Armarkat off of Amazon - we love it) and this looks like the best-priced cat tree I have seen for its size. I think I'm going to splurge.

kelslee

Good to know they make more challenging ones - I haven't seen those before! But we'll stick to disc, agility, competition obedience, nosework, and tricks to keep her mind and body busy. Helps keep my mind and body busy, too!

Jayrookie

I have the automatic pet feeder, although its annoying to set because of the complicated controls it works FANTASTIC. I used it 2 feed to cats when I travel for work and I've been gone 6 days at a time, and it would feed them twice a day as set on the clock. Highly recommend.

mglennx

sudotrin wrote:I'd like to know as well. I'm a bit put off that the covering is faux fur and not carpet (as commenter above pointed out). Also (serious question) does anyone know where I can get a safe "cat warmer"/heating pad kind of thing? Our oldest is about to turn 18 and really could use some extra heat. Her poor old bones are not liking the change in temperature even here in South Florida. Don't want to use regular heating pad as a friend's house burned down that way ...

You can buy special heating pads at Petsmart or someplace like Drsfosterandsmith.com (sp?). They also sell beds with a zipin heating component. My cats looove them!

ceagee

sudotrin wrote:I'd like to know as well. I'm a bit put off that the covering is faux fur and not carpet (as commenter above pointed out). Also (serious question) does anyone know where I can get a safe "cat warmer"/heating pad kind of thing? Our oldest is about to turn 18 and really could use some extra heat. Her poor old bones are not liking the change in temperature even here in South Florida. Don't want to use regular heating pad as a friend's house burned down that way ...

The Snuggle Safe that @Agingdragqueen mentioned is on sale today at link provided.
{I order from them all the time, they are legit} Yesterday it was a couple bucks less But it's still a very very good price.
I used it for my geriatric cats. Stays warm for 12 hours . Wrap it in a fuzzy blanket or tuck it in their bed. It's weird that it's hard, but they would snuggle up to it or on it if I wrapped it in a blanket. Also came in handy w/ a stray that I had in my garage before I could get her rehomed.
I must confess, that now my senior cats are gone,and I have young adults. I use it for me. I warm it up and tuck it under the covers and my bed is so nice and toasty to crawl into on these cold winter nights !
IOW even if your cat doesn't like it, you will, so you won't be out anything.

kmbkmb

Jayrookie wrote:I have the automatic pet feeder, although its annoying to set because of the complicated controls it works FANTASTIC. I used it 2 feed to cats when I travel for work and I've been gone 6 days at a time, and it would feed them twice a day as set on the clock. Highly recommend.

I have a different brand of auto-feeder, but I love it, too. I initially got it for a short trip, but I kept using it so the cats wouldn't dance on me at 6AM when they wanted breakfast and I wanted sleep. Took the older one 6 months to realize there would be food in the bowl even if I was still in bed, but the younger one only took 3 months to figure out the schedule so she could be first in line.

I admit these two cats would probably be riding the short bus if they went to school.

I do recommend finding an AC adapter that works with your model. The battery life was well under what was advertised for my unit, and once I got a $15 adapter, it was something less to worry about the batteries crapping out while I was out of town.

kle11az

Hey Woot, where's the love for those of us with fish and hamsters as pets? Actually I think the hamsters are my dog's pets as they're mesmerized every time they get access to the living room to visit them.

ThunderThighs

hrmelder wrote:Are the posts of the cat trees covered in sisal, or faux fur as well? My cats love the heck out of sisal posts, and I can't tell for sure from the pictures.

I'm asking. I can't tell from the pics either.

Update: The posts are covered with sisal rope.

kle11az wrote:Hey Woot, where's the love for those of us with fish and hamsters as pets? Actually I think the hamsters are my dog's pets as they're mesmerized every time they get access to the living room to visit them.

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